Ensnared Fox Kit Sustained by His Mother

A three-month-old fox kit in the U.K. was rescued by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) this spring after enduring about two weeks caught in a body snare. Despite suffering life-threatening injuries from the trap, the kit was kept alive by his mother, who fed him enough to keep him "quite chubby," according to RSPCA Inspector Sam Garvey.

Garvey says he and other rescuers could hear the cub screaming beneath two feet of brambles and bushes before cutting him free. "It was horrific," the inspector recounted to British media. "The wire had cut right through his middle, right down to his bones."

Though vets were initially uncertain if the little one would make it, he is now recovering in the Essex Wildlife Hospital, where caretakers report he is doing well. He is to be released upon full recovery. In the meantime, the RSPCA continues to search for the person who set the wire trap, though the larger question remains: How are animal welfare officials to keep illegal trap-setters outfoxed?